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disinfectant |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
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disinfectant, agent that destroys disease-causing microorganisms and their spores. Disinfectants, or germicides, are sometimes considered to be substances applied to inanimate bodies, whereas antiseptics antiseptic, agent that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms on the external surfaces of the body. Antiseptics should generally be distinguished from drugs such as antibiotics that destroy microorganisms internally, and from disinfectants, which destroy ..... Click the link for more information. , not so potent, are agents that kill microbes on living things. Mercuric chloride, carbolic acid (phenol), and chlorinated lime and other chlorine releasing compounds are disinfectants used on contaminated objects. Formaldehyde and some other disinfectants suitable for use in sprays are also used as deodorants and as airborne disinfectants, or fumigants, in large enclosed spaces. Certain substances such as mercury toluene sulfonanilide are used for disinfecting seeds to protect against soilborne plant diseases. Some disinfectants, especially chlorine and chlorine compounds, are also used as preservatives for leather and other materials. In weaker solutions some disinfecting chemicals may be used on the skin. Disinfection of contaminated objects can also be accomplished by boiling, where appropriate. disinfectant an agent that destroys or inhibits the activity of microorganisms that cause disease disinfectant [‚dis·ən′fek·tənt] (materials) A chemical agent that destroys microorganisms but not bacterial spores. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| I've covered her with oil-cloth--best American oilcloth, and put the sheet over that, and four jars of disinfectant, on account of the smell--as they did at Moscow--you remember? To you, my dear Summerlee, belongs the honour--posthumous, alas, but none the less unique--of having given a name to the universal destroyer, the Great Gardener's disinfectant. All the rooms were painted alike, in salmon-colour with a high dado of maroon; and there was in them an odour of disinfectants, mingling as the afternoon wore on with the crude stench of humanity. |
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